News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-01-27
THE GREATEST MINING CAMP.
The Butte-Anaconda Camp Eciip'ing all
Past Records and OyershadOwing tho
Other Towns Known up to The Present
Day.
LFrom the Globe-Democrat.l

From the C1ODe-DeTlOcTat.J
ANACONDA, M. with the starting
up of the great Anaconda smelter comes
a revival of business for Anaconda.
Butte, and vicinity. The Anaconda
works have now 221 men employed, al
though at reduced wages, for the laid
off employees who quit some time ago at
the suggestion of the Knights of Labor
at last accepted the terms of the com,
pany and resumed at a reduction oil
twenty per cent. on former wages.
Anaconda has q population of about
3, 800, which shows a remarkable growth
for three-year old town. Half of the
population are Young able bodied men Of
n years or under.
Taken in connection with Butte, of
which this district is but part and par
Gel, it is the greatest mining camp In
America, and, as matter of course, the
greatest in the world. The average
wages for miners are $3.50 a day, or
rather were before the late reduction
took effect. The eighteen leading com
panjes in the district, with their average
monthly pay rolls, are the Anaconda,
$3.50, goo; Lexington, $50, 600; Alice,
$50, 900; Colorado, $50, 900; Moulton,
$50, 900; Montana, $50, 900; Parrot,
$40, 900; Bell and Dexter $50, be-
sides numerous others ranging all the
way from $50, 600 down.
Matters in and about this stupendous
copper camp of Butte are in mo t
prosperous and thriving condition. The
only drawback to Butte is the great
number of gambling and drinking sa-
looms, and the unfortunate habit of the
mine and mill employees in wasting
their earnings on cards and drinks. The
swarm Of idle bartenders, distillers,
brewers, and gamblers which these hon
est men support is something appalling.
The number Of beer and whiSkey shops
could be cut down at least 100 per cent.
and still Butte and Anaconda would
have far above their proportion of these
evils. To stand on any of the peaks and
eminences around Butte and take in the
surrounding country at a glance would
convince the most skeptical that here
are gathered more mills, smelters, shaft
houses, and more producing mines to
the acre than upon any other portion Of
the known inhabited globe. The amount
OF prospecting now being pushed eclipses
anything that Virginia City and the
other great Nevada camps could boast
of in their palmiest days.
This rushing town supports four daily
newspapers, five brass and string bands,
three variety theatres, one opera house,
any number of gambling and drinking
establishments, has a population of
%, 900 or better, is out of debt, and has
$14, 900 in the Treasury. The mines in
the district for the year 1886 will pro
duce close on 1874, 1000. While the
discovery of most of the great mines
hereabouts was the result of hard, sys-
tematic labor, yet around some of them
fingers much of the romantic in the
manner they were stumbled upon when
least expected. Two prospectors, while
sinking a shaft some years ago, fell into
a subterranean chamber, in which were
the bodies of six petrifed Indians, it.
ting bolt upright, and covered with Or
naments of hammered gold and silver.
Soon afterward, by washing in the gulch
close by, placer gold was discovered,
from whence it is fair t. presume the
ornaments on the mummies were OBJ
tanned.